Rise of the Mutants
by Xx Falcon's Eye xX
Summary: After the Age of Apocalypse the XMen find they're still feared. And to top it off the rise of young new mutants has the team stressed especially when they come to live at the Institute. As each new mutant tries to fit in, what new problems will arise? OCs
1. Wiz Kid

Sept. 15

_Dear Journal,_

_Normally I wouldn't be starting a journal, but considering recent events, I thought it would be best if I did._

_My name is Lisa Tyler, and I'm twelve years old. I live in Columbus, Ohio, and attend Columbus Middle School; I'm a seventh grader. _

_Today has been a day of firsts—major firsts. Earlier today…_

Chapter 1

Wiz Kid

Lisa Tyler ran down her small, black paved driveway. Her mom's car was waiting for her at the edge of the street. Lisa skidded to a halt, swung the door open, and hopped into the car. She slammed the door hard and exclaimed, "Time!"

Lisa's mother, sitting in the driver's seat next to her, pressed a button on a stopwatch. "Five minutes, forty-three seconds." She said. "Not bad."

Lisa beamed as her mom started the car. "Alright!" She exclaimed. Lisa's mom shook her head.

"Why did you want me to time you again?" She asked. Lisa pulled the sun reflector down and looked at herself in the mirror.

"Practice." She said plainly. Her mom turned to her and raised an eyebrow.

"'Practice'?" She repeated. "For what?"

"We're having that relay race in a couple days." Lisa answered. "Fastest team gets to use the spare laptops for a week!"

The spare laptops were something every student at Columbus Middle wanted. They were lightweight, easy to use, and you could play games when you had time. Not to mention copying notes would be easier!

Lisa had been practicing her speed for days now. Every morning she'd run through the same routine: get up, shower, dry her hair, get dressed, brush her teeth, eat, and make it out to the car within a certain time limit.

And it was starting to pay off.

"I think I'm getting a little faster." Lisa proclaimed proudly. "Good thing too… I'm the slowest in my class!"

Lisa's mom laughed as they pulled up to the school. Lisa grabbed her bag and swung the car door open.

"Have a good day." Her mom said. Lisa waved as she walked towards the school.

* * *

Lisa set her bag down on her desk and slumped into her chair. By now it was 11:15, only one more period until lunch…

Math.

Lisa rested her head in the palm of her hand and yawned as her teacher walked into the room, books in hand.

"Ok Algebra," He began, calling the class 'Algebra' as he always did. "Today we're going to be starting Eliminations with Linear Equations."

To Lisa—and probably others—it sounded like pure gibberish.

The teacher began writing on the board.

-2x + 3y = 25

+ 2x + 4y = 16

Lisa perked up. Somehow, she seemed to get it… but how?

"Can anyone tell me what we do first?" The teacher asked. He liked to see if anyone had a clue as to what they were doing, which 99.9% of the time they didn't… but it was fun to watch. "Come on class…" The teacher prodded.

Looking around, Lisa saw that no one had any idea what he or she was supposed to do. This was eighth grade math this guy was teaching after all!

Timidly, Lisa raised her hand.

Almost as surprised as the rest of the class, the teacher called on her. "Miss Tyler?" He said.

Lisa slowly stood up and made her way to the front of the class. She took a piece of chalk from the ledge and began writing.

"…You would…" Lisa began to explain. Gazing over the problem, she'd begun to figure it out in her head.

-2x + 3y = 25

+ 2x + 4y = 17

"…Umm…" She continued. "You'd cancel out the negative and positive twos, leaving you with 3y and 4y… which would be 7y…" she paused, writing this on the board. "Then you'd add twenty-five and sixteen… which is forty-two…"

Lisa turned around. All eyes wee on her. The teacher seemed amazed. Gulping, Lisa spun back around. She swore she was blushing.

"U-umm…" Lisa stammered. By now she had 7y = 42. "Th-then you divide…"

She wrote this on the board.

7y = 42

7 ___7

And then,

Y = 6

And then, somehow, Lisa felt what could only be described as a small shock. Staring at the board—chalk inches from it—Lisa managed a small whine.

Then, it came to her—just like that.

"Then you plug six where the y is in a problem and find x." She spat out quickly, writing this on the board.

-2x + 3y = 25

+ 2x + 4y = 17

-2x + 3(6) = 25

-2x + 18 = 25

-2x + 18 – 18 = 25 – 18

-2x = 7

-2 __-2

x =

And she stopped. Lisa turned around, placed the chalk back down and turned to her teacher. "And that's all I got…" she mumbled. The teacher said nothing as Lisa hurried to her seat.

That was so embarrassing!

* * *

Math was over and done quicker than Lisa thought. She actually understood what she'd done on the board, she answered every question her teacher asked correctly, and she'd already finished her homework with ease.

Lisa grabbed her lunch from her locker and hurried to the cafeteria. She spotted her friends sitting at a small table and quickly ran over to them.

"Hey guys," Lisa said. She noticed they had some books spread out on the table. "What's with the books?"

One of Lisa's friends turned to her. "Don't you remember?" She asked, "We have a history test today!"

Crap.

"What?!" Lisa shouted. "Oh crap!!" Sitting down. Lisa tried to study with her friends as best she could, but by the end of lunch, she wasn't doing so well…

* * *

The test was right after lunch; somehow Lisa finished first. She'd answered every question, not skipping anything.

The rest of the day went without a hitch: P.E. and English came after history—which was fine—again Lisa was able to get homework done, and three o'clock came quickly.

When Lisa's mom pulled up to the school, Lisa hurried into the car.

"How was school?" Her mom asked. Lisa sighed.

"I've had better days…" She said.

"What happened?" Her mom asked.

"Well," Lisa began, "I embarrassed myself in Math—"

"How so?" Mrs. Tyler interrupted. "You get something wrong on the board?"

"No," Lisa exclaimed. "I got it right! It's just… I'd never seen it before… it was eighth grade math!"

Her mom didn't say anything at first. Then, changing the subject, she continued. "So what else happened today?"

Lisa moaned. "We had a history test today…" She paused. "And I forgot to study."

"Oh Lisa!" Mrs. Tyler exclaimed, shaking her head.

"But I was the first to finish!" Lisa exclaimed. "I don't get it!"

* * *

When Mrs. Tyler pulled up to the house, Lisa grabbed her bag and ran into the house. She threw her book bag down by the door and ran down into the basement.

"Hi Dad!" Lisa exclaimed, barreling down the stairs.

"Hey Lis!" Mr. Tyler's muffled voice rang. "How was school?"

"Ok…" Lisa said. Lisa's dad worked with computers—fixing computers. He had at least a dozen old junky computers down in the basement that he would dismantle and use for parts. "How 'bout you?"

"Pretty good…" Mr. Tyler said, his voice getting a little louder. Lisa walked around the boxes of computer parts until she found her father, lying down under a small desk. He was taking apart yet another computer. "Just… same old, same old."

Lisa smiled and crouched down to her father's eye level. "Need any help?" she asked.

Mr. Tyler's head poked out from under the desk. "As a matter of fact," He began, "Can you get me a Phillips head screwdriver and a bucket?"

Lisa raised an eyebrow. "Sure…" She said, standing up.

"They should be on the counter." Her father said. Lisa grabbed the screwdriver and the bucket that was next to it and walked back over to her father.

"Here." She said, handing him the tools.

"Thank you." Mr. Tyler said. Lisa walked over to a wooden stool and sat down. "Get you homework done?"

"Yep." Lisa said. "Did it in class."

"That's good." Her father said. He crawled out from under the desk and stood up, shaking dust off of him. "I'm gonna go get a soda. Want anything?"

"No thanks." Lisa said. Her father nodded and walked up the steps.

Lisa loved coming down into the basement. Although it was drafty and there was stuff everywhere, she loved it down here. Her dad had been working with computers since before she was born. It was in her _blood_.

Lisa eyed a small computer in the corner of the room. Curious, she walked over to it and crouched down. 'What's a little computer like this doing down here?' She thought.

The screen was dusty as well and the tower itself. Lisa scratched her chin and began brushing the dust off of the tower. Suddenly, the power button lit up and so did the screen. Eyes wide, Lisa tried to turn the computer off. She held the power button in for what seemed like forever, and finally, it shut off.

Lisa quickly stood up and walked away. It wouldn't have been strange if not for the fact that the power button was on the OTHER side of the tower; Lisa had brushed off the side with the computer's logo, and the computer turned on automatically.

Lisa's father's footsteps echoed through the basement. Lisa walked as calmly as she could over to the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Mr. Tyler asked. Lisa smiled innocently.

"I, uh…" she began, "I-I'm gonna go see if anyone's online." And with that, she hurried up the steps, leaving her father in wonder.

* * *

That night, Lisa went to bed early. She didn't want to think about what had happened today. At 8:30, Lisa brushed her teeth and went to bed.

At 10:30 p.m., Lisa's alarm clock rang. Her eyes cracked open; it was still dark out. Aggravated, Lisa hit the snooze button on her alarm clock. She groaned and rolled over.

"Dad can… fix a computer but not this… stupid… clock…" She mumbled groggily.

* * *

At 11:30, the alarm clock ran again. This time, Lisa turned the alarm off. Tomorrow was Saturday! This was ridiculous!

* * *

12:30, the clock rang again. 1:30—again—2:30—again—3:30—again—4:30—again. Finally, Lisa got up and unplugged the damned thing. She even put the clock on the floor. Finally, she could try to get some sleep.

* * *

At 9:30, Lisa's eyes cracked open. She didn't exactly have a good sleep, but a delicious smell woke her: toast and eggs.

Lisa sat up and looked over at her nightstand. Sure enough, there was a plate of eggs, toast, bacon, and a glass of orange juice.

Lisa rubbed her eyes and smiled. She grabbed the plate and began eating.

* * *

A few minutes later, Lisa walked downstairs. Her mom and dad were still in the kitchen. Lisa had her dirty dishes in her hand.

"Thanks for breakfast mom." Lisa said. Mrs. Tyler seemed surprised. She looked from her daughter, to the plates, to her husband.

"I… didn't make that Lisa." She said. Lisa raised an eyebrow.

"D…dad?" Lisa questioned. Her father shook her head.

"Lisa," Mrs. Tyler began, "We thought you made yourself something." She said.

"I haven't been down here all morning." Lisa said. "How could I…"

Lisa's voice trailed off. Her mom had a few pans and a towel in her hand. She was standing behind the stove… which was a mess to say the least.

"I was just going to come get you to clean this up." Mrs. Tyler said. "But… you didn't do it?"

"No!" Lisa exclaimed.

"Are you lying to me?" Mrs. Tyler said. Lisa's mouth hung open.

"Of course not!" she shouted. "You know how bad a liar I am!"

"She's got a point…" Mr. Tyler said, trying to avoid her wife's gaze.

Mrs. Tyler shook her head. She glanced back at her daughter and gasped loudly. Her eyes widened and she dropped a pan, shattering it completely.

Lisa was as startled as her mom, because of her mom's reaction. Mr. Tyler jumped up and Lisa's eyes widened as well.

"What?!" Lisa shouted. "Mom, what's wrong?!"

Mrs. Tyler pointed at her daughter. Confused, Lisa looked behind her. There was nothing. She turned around and looked down at the shattered pan.

"Marie?" Mr. Tyler exclaimed. "What's wrong? What is it?!"

Suddenly, Mr. Tyler froze as well as his wife. They were both staring at Lisa.

"Wh-what?!" Lisa shouted. Suddenly, she felt something on her leg and she jumped back. She tripped on whatever was holding her and slammed down onto the ground.

When Lisa saw what was holding onto her, her heart skipped a beat—or at least she thought it did. Her eyes widened like the rest of her family and her breath was caught in her throat.

Finally finding her voice, Lisa screamed bloody murder—_loudly_.

Wrapped around her leg and swinging like a tail was a small electric power cord…

…attached to her alarm clock.

**please review!! i have so many new mutants i need to introduce! and i need your help! just REVIEW!**


	2. Lisa's Roadside Attack

Chapter 2

Lisa's Roadside Attack

It was Monday morning. The weekend had been worse than horrible. First, Lisa's clock had come to life, then her parents freaked out, and then Lisa's little brother woke up, saw the clock, and started crying. The entire family was… split, maybe. After about half an hour, Lisa's parents had begun to get over the shock.

But the damage was done.

Normally, if she were having a bad day, Lisa would go in her room or the basement. But after what had happened—and considering the fact that her basement was COVERED in computers, and her room was filled with electronics—she ran out of the house, crying.

Just like that. Right after the clock had tripped her, Lisa shot up, started crying, and ran out of the house.

Eventually, Mr. Tyler found Lisa walking down the street. She was cold, hungry, and still in shock. Mr. and Mrs. Tyler had come to the conclusion that Lisa should go to her grandparents for the weekend. They thought she "needed some time away", but thinking about it, Lisa's grandparents didn't have any computers, or hand held games, or electronics—only a TV, their car, and a radio.

Of course, Lisa's parents didn't tell her why they chose her grandparents—they didn't want her to think they didn't love her anymore. They loved her to death! They were just… scared.

Lisa would be staying at her grandparents' house until Wednesday—or later. There was no way she was going back until her parents thought she was perfectly all right.

So Monday morning, Lisa awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside her window. Blinking herself awake, Lisa sat up. She yawned and stretched, looking out the window. Her grandma had just gone out to get the paper.

Lisa glanced over at the clock on the wall. It read 10:34. Lisa smiled. She'd had a pretty good night sleep.

In a matter of minutes, Lisa was up, dressed, and headed downstairs. Her grandfather was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the paper. When he heard Lisa, he set the paper down, stood up, and gave Lisa a big hug.

"How's my favorite granddaughter?" He asked. Lisa smiled up at him and hugged him back.

When Lisa was five, her grandfather had called her his "favorite granddaughter". To this day, she says the same thing every time. "I'm your only granddaughter." She said cheerfully.

Lisa's grandma had come back into the house. She set down a plate of pancakes for Lisa at the table. Her grandpa gave Lisa a kiss on the forehead and the two sat down to eat.

* * *

"Hey Lisa?" Lisa's grandfather called from outside. He was leaning against his beaten up red pickup truck. "I'm going to the store; you want to come with me?"

Lisa bound out the door. "Do I!" she exclaimed. She hopped into the passenger's seat and her grandfather turned the car on.

* * *

At the store, a lot of people gave Lisa weird looks. Well, not so much Lisa, but her grandfather. He paid no attention and smiled the entire time. Every now and then, Lisa would look up at him and cock her head to one side.

When they were done shopping, the two of them hopped back into the truck and began driving home. Lisa noticed a few people come out of the store to watch them leave.

"Grandpa?" Lisa began, still looking out the window.

"Yes?" Her grandfather said. Lisa closed her eyes and shook her head.

"Never mind." She said, rolling the window up. Suddenly, when the window wasn't even half way up, Lisa felt a small shock in her finger. She pulled her hand back quickly. Her grandfather eyed her out of the corner of his eye. He squeezed the steering wheel tightly and then relaxed.

Lisa stared down at her hand and shook her head. "C-can I put the radio on?" She asked. Her grandfather opened his mouth, but stopped. He sighed.

"It's… pretty old." He said hesitantly. "It probably won't work right. The music always sounds like static."

Lisa blinked innocently. "Can I at least try?" she asked. Her grandfather sighed again and hesitantly nodded.

"Go ahead." He said softly. Lisa reached for the old radio and pushed a dial. The radio's sound was swirled and sounded like static, like her grandfather had said. But something was… off, and Lisa's grandfather had noticed it too.

"Lisa—" He began, but he was cut off by the radio. It screamed loudly and suddenly died. The music shut off and the dial clicked the other way on it's own. Eyes wide, Lisa's grandfather pulled over. He turned the car off and jumped out. "Lisa! Hurry!" He called. "Get out of the car!"

Lisa was freaking out. What had happened NOW?! Scared, Lisa swung the car door open and jumped out. But when she opened the door, she accidentally touched the window button.

* * *

Mr. and Mrs. Tyler sat in their home, on their couch. Mr. Tyler was holding Mrs. Tyler, who looked like she'd just stopped crying. Their son was playing in the other room.

Suddenly, the phone rang. Standing up, Mr. Tyler grabbed it and checked the caller ID. Eyes wide, he walked into the kitchen.

It was his parents. Something had to have happened…

* * *

Half an hour later, Mr. Tyler sped up to his parents' house—his wife in the passenger's seat. A neighbor was watching their son.

Mr. Tyler immediately jumped out of the car, and began running up to the house, when his mother came running out. Mr. Tyler grabbed his mother's arms.

"What happened?!" He exclaimed. His mother was frantic.

"I-I just got a call from your father!" She exclaimed. "I-I-I don't know what's h-happened… b-but… Oh lord Tom, i-it's Lisa… she… She…!!"

Mr. Tyler—Tom—turned around to the car. He swallowed.

"Mom," He began, "Get in the car."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Mr. Tyler's car skidded to a halt. They were five minutes away from a small grocery store. Not even turning off his car, Mr. Tyler bounded out of it and onto the road. His mother and wife followed.

The three of them seemed to be in a trance. They were all staring up at the sky. But—in truth—they had a VERY good reason to.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed Mr. Tyler's shoulder. He jumped.

"Easy…" A man's voice said—it was his father.

"Dad!" Mr. Tyler exclaimed. His father had a small cut above his eye and he was covered in dirt. He looked like he'd just got done working under a car.

And, in a way, he might have.

The sight the four of them were looking upon would've shocked the most serious person. Their daughter—or granddaughter—was suspended in mid air, being held up by a large, mechanical—red—mass.

Tears were streaming down Lisa's face. "HEEELP!!" she screamed. She was on all fours on this thing as it hovered ten feet above her family.

Lisa's grandfather stepped forward. "Don't touch it with your hands!" He called up to her. Lisa was scared. She didn't understand. Why was this happening?!

So Lisa did what her grandfather had said; she lifted her hands off of the mass. Now she was kneeling. She held her hands at her heart.

"Wh-what is that thing?!" Mrs. Tyler exclaimed. Lisa's grandmother squinted at the mass and shrieked.

"Oh my Lord!!" She cried.

"Mom!" Mr. Tyler exclaimed, "What is it?!" His mother merely pointed at the mass. And that's when they saw it.

_ATE CHT_

It was Lisa's grandfather's license plate, stuck to the front of the mass.

The red mass was a truck.

Then, Lisa's grandfather did something that NO ONE expected.

"Jump Lisa!" He shouted. But that wasn't the unexpected. Lisa hesitantly jumped off of the truck-mass. Her grandfather, instead of running to catch her, ran over to his son's car and slapped both hands onto it. The green car suddenly sprang to life. Lisa's grandfather pointed at his falling granddaughter and the car jumped out at her, completely changing its shape. It formed a giant green and silver hand and caught Lisa in mid air.

The hand lowered her onto the ground and she collapsed. Her parents and grandmother ran over to her. Her grandfather jumped onto the green hand and flew up to the red truck-mass. He jumped onto it and it reared like a bull. Lisa's grandfather grabbed onto the metal and squeezed hard.

The truck froze, and then plummeted to the ground, as if someone had just hit the kill button.

Lisa, still huddled on the ground, was crying hard. Her mom had her arms wrapped around her and was rocking her back and forth. But everyone's eyes were one the slightly smoking red truck—or what was left of it—and Lisa's grandfather.


	3. The XMen Make Their Appearance

Chapter 3

The X-Men Make Their Appearance

Lisa's grandfather wasted no time. Almost immediately after he and his family arrived at Lisa's house, he raced inside and grabbed the phone. His wife, son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter soon followed.

In less than five minutes, Lisa's grandfather had gotten off of the phone and had joined his family in the living room. Lisa had gone into the bathroom to try to calm down.

Her grandfather sat down on the sofa, let out a sigh, and his son and daughter-in-law shot up.

"What was that?!" Mr. Tyler exclaimed. "Dad, what the hell did you do?!"

"What did _he_ do?" Mrs. Tyler exclaimed to her husband. "More like what did _Lisa_ do?!" As Lisa's parents pummeled Lisa's grandfather with questions, he said nothing. Finally, his wife spoke.

"For God sakes Arthur!" She exclaimed. "Tell us what's going on!" Lisa's grandfather—Arthur—took a deep breath.

"There are some things I can't explain the correct way." He said plainly. "Lisa will be alright. She's just gone through a… _change_; a special change." He cleared his throat. "What she's going through is perfectly normal in this situation—"

"She levitated your car!!" Mr. Tyler shouted, trying not to lose his temper. "She brought her clock to life!! How can you say this is normal?!"

Lisa, meanwhile, had snuck out of the bathroom. She slid down the wall next to the living room and just listened, trying to hold back more tears.

Arthur closed his eyes. "Yes, I know, there is nothing normal about this for _humans_…" He paused, opening his eyes and seeing the puzzled looks on his family's faces. "But Lisa is not a human… not anymore."

"What?" Lisa whispered to herself. She gulped, cupping her hand over her mouth.

"And like Lisa," her grandfather continued, "I am not a human either."

"…Th-than what are you?" Mrs. Tyler asked nervously. "What is our daughter if she's not human?"

Arthur cleared his throat again. "We are mutants." He said. His family said nothing. Lisa's eyes were wide. "We carry a strange X gene in our DNA that gives us unique powers. Mine and Lisa's are about the same."

Mr. Tyler gulped. "Th-then why didn't you tell us about this?" He asked. "Why didn't you tell us this was going to happen to her?!"

"If I had known," Arthur began, "It would have been because you would've been a mutant as well." Lisa's parents slowly sat down.

"Wh-what?" Mr. Tyler said.

"I thought Lisa wouldn't get the X gene." Arthur said. "It skipped over you, for some reason, and carried on to her. If I had known that she was going to be a mutant…" His voice trailed off.

Lisa felt tears welding up in her eyes. Quietly, she stood up and ran up the stairs to her room.

Mr. Tyler rested his head in his hands. "Mom…" He began, "Did… did you have any idea…?"

Arthur's wife sighed. "Yes." She said. "I knew your father was a mutant from the moment we met… but I thought Lisa would be human as well as your father did…"

"But everything is going to be ok." Arthur said. "I've called up an… old friend of mine. His name is Charles Xavier. He runs a school in New York for mutants."

"Xavier?" Mrs. Tyler questioned, "I've… I've heard that name before…"

"He created the infamous 'X-Men' a while back." Arthur said. "I was one of them, for a time."

"The X-Men…" Mr. Tyler whispered. "A-are you sure they can help her?!"

"I'm positive." Arthur said. He looked at the clock. "Charles should be here soon."

"You said he was in New York!" Mrs. Tyler said.

"He has a jet." Arthur stated. "I helped him build it. It should only take him a matter of minutes to get here…" He sighed. "I have to warn you though," He began, "Charles is bringing his whole team. That means we're going to have a house full of mutants."

Mr. and Mrs. Tyler exchanged glances. Mr. Tyler brushed his hand through his hair. "Well… as long as it helps Lisa… I don't care."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. Mr. and Mrs. Tyler's heads snapped towards the door. Arthur smiled. "I'll get it." He said, standing up. He opened the door quickly.

Standing—or sitting—in the doorway was a bald man in a wheelchair. He smiled up at Arthur and the two shook hands. "Archimedes." He said.

"Professor." Arthur said. "Thank you so much for this. Come on in."

'Professor' aka Charles Xavier rode his wheelchair into the house and straight into the living room. Behind him was a dark skinned woman with white hair, a large man wearing a black hood over his face, a girl with striking red hair, a boy with a strange red visor over his eyes, a girl with short, brown hair with the front highlighted white, a girl with her hair tied in a ponytail, and a boy with sleek blue fur covering his entire body.

Now, Mr. and Mrs. Tyler knew why Arthur had warned them. Arthur smiled at the teenage mutants. "And this must be your team." He said. Charles nodded.

"Yes." He said. "I'd like you to meet Ororo Munroe, aka Storm." The white haired woman stepped up.

"Pleasure to meet you." She said.

Charles continued naming his team members in the order they walked in. "Logan, or Wolverine," He started, "Jean Grey, Scott Summers, also known as Cyclops, Rogue, Kitty Pryde, or Shadowcat, and Kurt Wagner, also known as Nightcrawler."

Arthur nodded. "It's nice to meet you all." He said. Charles rode closer.

"Now, Arthur," He began, "You said your granddaughter has acquired mutant abilities?"

"She lifted herself off the ground using my car, Charles." Arthur said. "She's got almost the same powers as I do."

Charles scratched his chin. "Hmm…" He began, "I see." He rode up to Mr. and Mrs. Tyler. "I want to assure you that your daughter will be alright." He said, giving the frightened parents a little relief. "We're going to help her control her powers and learn to live with them. Now, where is she?"

Arthur walked over to the stairs. "I heard her go up earlier." He said. "Lisa!" He called, "Come on down; there are some people here I want you to meet."

No answer.

Mrs. Tyler got up and nervously walked past the mutants. She started walking up the steps. "Lisa, honey…" She cooed, "Please, come down…"

Still nothing. Suddenly, a cool breeze blew from upstairs. Arthur's eyes widened.

"Oh no…!" He exclaimed, running up the stairs. Cyclops and Nightcrawler exchanged glances, before Nightcrawler bounded up the steps—animal style—behind Arthur.

At the top of the steps, Arthur raced to his granddaughter's room and found the door wide open. He ran inside, and to his horror, the window was wide open. Nightcrawler ran up next to him. "Vas?" He whispered.

Arthur dashed to the widow and peered out; Lisa had climbed down the escape ladder and had disappeared. "No!" Arthur exclaimed. He turned to Nightcrawler and put his hands on they boy's shoulders. "You have to find my granddaughter!" He exclaimed.

Nightcrawler seemed a little surprised, but saluted and disappeared with a _BAMF_! Charles finally managed to get up the steps using his telepathy and joined Arthur in Lisa's room.

"We'll find her." He said. "I've already told my team to start the search. Your family is getting ready to go too. I'm going with you all to look for Lisa."

Arthur nodded and sighed. "Thank you…" He said. "Now… let's do this for old times sake." Charles raised an eyebrow. Arthur walked into his room, pulled out a box from under his bed, blew the dust off the top, and opened it.

Inside was a blue and white suit. It had a golden belt with a red 'X' as the buckle. Arthur smiled at it and quickly changed. When he was finished, he looked like a polished X-Man… save for the gray hair.

"Just like old times." Charles said, smiling. Arthur nodded.

"Let's find my granddaughter." He said.

* * *

Lisa stumbled down an alley cautiously. Still shaken up from earlier, and afraid of touching anything else, she held her hands close to her heart. Lisa's heart was racing, and she knew that if anyone found out what she was, she was in trouble.

Lisa spotted the street and breathed a sigh of relief. But suddenly, a boy with white hair appeared like lightning in the opening. Lisa gulped and turned around. This time, a brown-haired boy wearing a strange outfit jumped down in a crouched position in front of her. She gasped and quickly began backing up.

Then, she slammed into something soft and yet hard at the same time. She looked up and her eyes widened; she had backed into a HUGE blond-haired boy in overalls. His hair was cut in a short mohawk.

Lisa quickly turned around again, and the boy from the alley appeared next to the large boy. "Whoa." He said quickly. "Where'd ya think you're goin'?" He asked, a sly grin on his face.

A fly zipped past Lisa and the boy behind her groaned. His tongue shot out of his mouth like a frog's and slapped the fly, sucking it into his mouth. Lisa gasped loudly.

"Wh-who are you?!" She exclaimed, turning back around to face the fast boy. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her shoulder and she screamed. But another hand reached over her mouth.

"Shh…" a soothing male voice said. "Take it easy. We're your friends." He let her go and Lisa spun around. The boy had long, dark brown hair and he too—like the other three boys—had a strange outfit on. But he had a soft smile on his face.

"What's going on?" Lisa asked nervously. "What do you want from me?!" The fast boy zipped around her and appeared next to the dark haired boy.

"We want you to join our team." He said quickly. The dark haired boy pushed him out of the way.

"Ignore him." He said. "I'm Lance, but you can call me Avalanche." Lance offered Lisa his hand, and she stared at it. Reluctantly, she shook his hand, and then pulled her hand back quickly. Lance smiled. "That's Pietro." He said, pointing to the white haired fast boy. "We call him Quicksilver. Fred, or Blob, is right behind you." Lisa looked up at 'Blob'. He smiled and waved. "And Todd is behind me." Lance finished, turning towards the frog-like boy. "We call him Toad… for obvious reasons."

Lisa gulped. "Y-you never answered my question… d-directly." She said. "What do you want with me?"

"They want to help you." A voice rang out. Lisa took a step back into Fred. Out of the shadows came Lisa's grandfather. He had a comforting look on his face as he walked towards the group. "Lisa." Arthur said. "I've called them to help you."

Tears welded up in Lisa's face. She pushed past Lance and Todd and nearly jumped on her grandfather. "Grandpa!" She exclaimed. "I-I'm so sorry about your truck!"

"It's ok, it's ok." Arthur assured her, "Now, who's my favorite granddaughter?" He whispered in her ear.

"I-I'm your only granddaughter…" Lisa whispered back, wiping her eyes. Arthur smiled down at her and took her hand.

"These boys are part of a team called the Brotherhood." He said, walking down the alley. "They're going to take you to their home and help you with your powers."

Lisa took a shaky breath and nodded. "A-am I gonna be ok?" She asked, looking up at her grandfather. Arthur nodded.

"Of course you are." He said, leading Lisa out of the alley. Suddenly, his eyes widened. Lisa suddenly felt worried.

"G-grandpa—?" she began, but a familiar voice cut her off.

"Lisa!!" The voice called. Lisa's grandfather suddenly let go of her hand. A man with gray hair and wearing a blue outfit was standing in front of the group. Next to him were Lisa's parents, grandmother, a woman with white hair, and a bald headed man in a wheelchair. "Thank God we've found you!" The man in blue exclaimed. It was her grandfather.

Lisa's eyes widened. "Wh-what?!" she exclaimed. She backed away from the Brotherhood and her 'grandfather'. "Who-who are you?!" she screamed pointing from one 'grandfather' to the other.

"Lisa," The Arthur with the Brotherhood began, "It's me! Grandpa!" He held out his hand. "Does that even look like me?" He said, pointing at the grandfather in blue. "He came here with the X-Men to try and capture you!"

"Don't listen to him Lisa!" The Arthur in blue exclaimed. "I'm your grandfather! If you were listening to us then you know I was an X-Man!"

Lisa frantically looked from one group to the other, still backing up. Finally, she backed up into the wall. Her foot accidentally kicked a trashcan and the lid popped off. Her hand grazed an old radio that was perched in the top of the can. Lisa gasped loudly, pulling her hand away.

Everything seemed to slow down. Lisa looked at her arm; she could see small bits and pieces of the radio in her skin, almost like it was mixing in with her arm. And several larger pieces floated around Lisa's arm as she pulled it away from the radio. She could see the entire makeup of the device.

And then, everything went back to normal speed, and the others around her looked at her as if nothing happened. Lisa's arm was back to normal again, but the radio was gone.

Suddenly, pieces of radio began spinning around Lisa's arm. She screamed, as the pieces molded together and connected to her arm, almost like a gauntlet. When the radio-gauntlet stopped moving, Lisa spun around and slammed her fist into the wall behind her; a huge hole appeared that shattered like glass.

Too scared to be surprised, Lisa raced through the hole without looking back. She had broken into an abandoned building filled with old machinery.

"Lisa!" The real Arthur called, running at the wall. But suddenly, it closed up, the hole filled by pieces of what looked like small cranes and monitors.

Lisa, having run into the building, had touched a few machines and 'threw' them at the wall—or just spun around in surprise and the machines followed her 'command'. Without looking back, Lisa ran to the other side of the room and raised her gauntlet fist. But she paused, eyes wide and just staring at her arm. The gauntlet had gotten bigger, and now, instead of being black and junky looking, it was silver. Lisa slammed her fist into the wall and ran out of the new hole she had created.

By the time she was gone, Arthur had taken control of the machines blocking the hole Lisa had created and had thrown them away. The Brotherhood and the fake Arthur were gone.

"Lisa!" Arthur called, running through the abandoned building. "Lisa!!"

"Arthur," Charles began, wheeling up to his old friend. "We've got my best students out there. We'll find her." And with that, he put his fingers to his temples and closed his eyes.

* * *

Lisa ran down yet another alley and skidded to a halt. She had reached a dead end. Lisa was tired and her arm was weighing her down. Finally, she sank to her knees and started crying.

A soft _BAMF_ sounded from behind Lisa, but whether she heard it or not, she wasn't showing it. Kurt appeared in a small cloud of sulfuric smoke, noticed Lisa crying, and flipped on his holowatch. Now that he looked somewhat normal, he walked up to Lisa and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Guten tag, kleines Mädchen(1)." He said soothingly. Lisa jumped up and screamed, backing into the wall. "Oh, sorry." Kurt said. "Didn't mean to frighten you." He smiled.

"Wh-wh-who are you?!" Lisa practically screamed. Kurt's smile faded.

"I am a freund." He said. "I've come to help you." He took a step closer, and Lisa seemed to relax a little. Kurt seemed to be able to calm Lisa down, so maybe he could gain her trust. "My name is Kurt Wagner." He said. "But mein freunds call me Nightcrawler!" He said with pride. "Vhat is your name?"

Lisa gulped, sliding down the wall. She hugged her knees and sighed shakily. "L-lisa…" She whispered. "Lisa Tyler…"

Kurt walked over to her and sat down. "Vhat a beautiful name." He said, smiling. Lisa looked up and him and smiled sadly, wiping her eyes.

"Th-thanks…" she mumbled. She was quiet for a moment, but then started shaking again. Kurt wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"I know it's tough." He said. "I've been through zis too." Lisa's stared at him.

"H-how…?" she mumbled. "Y-you're a…?"

Kurt nodded. "I'm a mutant too." He said. "Your grandfather ist a freund of mein teacher, and he needed our help, so ve came to get you." He smiled. "Besides," He began, "You've got qvite and arm zere." He pointed down at Lisa's metal arm.

Lisa let out a soft giggle and held up her arm. "I hate this…" she mumbled. "When's it gonna go away?!"

"It doesn't." Kurt said almost sadly. Lisa turned to him. "…But, having powers can be cool too!"

Lisa blinked at him. "O-oh yeah?" she said, "Wh-what can you d-do?"

Kurt smiled. Suddenly he disappeared with a _BAMF_ in a sulfuric cloud of smoke. Lisa gasped, her eyes wide. Kurt reappeared in the middle of the alley.

"See?" He said. Lisa smiled and stood up.

"Th-that's so cool!" She exclaimed. "But… you have a cool power… I don't…" She sighed. "My power sucks… I-it's useless!"

"No vone is useless." Kurt said, _bamf_ing back over to Lisa. "Mein teacher taught me zat… and he vants to help you. Ve all do."

"…Who's we?" Lisa asked.

Kurt smiled. "Ze X-Men."

Lisa's eyes suddenly widened in shock. "Th-the X-Men?!" She exclaimed, backing up. "N-no… no…!" she yelled. Kurt's smile quickly faded.

"Vhat's wrong?" He asked, walking towards her.

"Stay away from me!" Lisa shouted. She suddenly spotted a watch on Kurt's arm and had an idea. Only a few feet away from him, Lisa pushed herself away from the wall, and she grabbed Kurt's arm. He gasped loudly and suddenly, his whole body began flickering until finally, he turned into a blue, furry, demonic looking creature with a long tail, pointed ears, and glowing white eyes. Lisa screamed and pulled her hand away.

Again, as she retracted her hand, she could see the makeup of the watch. She'd never seen anything like it! And then, her gauntlet grew again, looking more high-tech than before.

But now, panic swept over her like a tidal wave. She screamed again and took off down the alley after knocking Kurt to the ground.

Tears in her eyes, Lisa raced down the sidewalk. Her gauntlet suddenly began beeping and a man's voice came through it.

"Kurt!" The voice exclaimed. "Kurt, are you alright? What was that scream? Kurt!" Lisa skidded to a halt and repeatedly slammed the side of the gauntlet into a car. Finally, she stopped after having almost pounding a hole into the car. She began backing away from the car, but stopped herself. She got an idea.

Glancing down at her hand, Lisa stepped up to the car and placed her bare hand onto the smashed up hood.

And suddenly, the car began to violently shake…

* * *

**Translation(s)**

**(1) Guten tag, kleines Mädchen – Good day, little girl**


	4. Choose a Team

Chapter 4

Choose a Team

Almost instantly, the car rose into the air. Lisa glanced down at her gauntlet hand and balled it into a fist. She stared at it, as if trying to stare it down. And then suddenly, it changed.

The gauntlet disassembled and the pieces floated in the air. Lisa held her hand up and some of the pieces connected. Lisa looked at her hand and half smiled. She swiped her hand trough the air and more pieces connected. Then, Lisa's hand dropped and the new device flew to her leg and connected to her foot.

She'd made her first intentional invention—Mechanical boots.

Lisa took a step back and forward to see if they were secure. When she was sure, she looked up at the car she had touched. It looked more like a big surfboard now than a car. Lisa looked around her. She spotted a bin filled with electronics that were going to be recycled and smiled. She raced over, practically diving into the bin. From everything she found she grabbed a PSP, an old cell phone, and a few batteries.

Lisa was able to blend her mechanical boots and her new 'equipment' together. For some reason, she seemed to understand what she was doing—like where to put a certain piece and what it would do. When she was all done, Lisa's boots had come up to her knees, and the bottoms were glowing.

Lisa clicked her heels together and her boots flared. The bottoms glowed fiery red and suddenly, Lisa was hovering off of the ground. She almost laughed, but a huge smile was plastered on her face. She was beginning to get the hang of this!

Lisa rose up to the 'car' and jumped on. It began to drop, but Lisa quickly knelt down and slammed both hands onto it. The sound of changing gears and clanging metal drew Lisa's attention to her feet. Her boots had partially disassembled and had blended with the 'car'. Lisa stood up and clenched her fists.

She'd made a hover board.

* * *

"Kurt!" Xavier exclaimed, holding a small phone looking device to his face. "Kurt, come in!" Xavier and Arthur were still in the abandoned building Lisa had run through. They had contacted the others to say they had somewhat found Lisa, when Xavier sensed something wrong.

Arthur gulped. "Do you think something happened to them?" He asked. Xavier nodded and flipped the phone off.

"No." He said. "If anything had happened—mostly meaning the Brotherhood found them—Kurt would have gotten Lisa away from them." He rode back to the last hole Lisa had run through—which was boarded up with machines. "Most likely, Kurt's image inducer lost power… or Lisa got a hold of it…"

Arthur groaned. "Lisa's never seen another mutant in her life!" He exclaimed. "If she took Nightcrawler's watch… doesn't that mean he'll look… well, like himself?"

"That's exactly why I think there might be a problem." Xavier said, riding out of the building, with Arthur right behind him. Arthur's wife and Lisa's parents were waiting.

"W-well?" Lisa's mother exclaimed. "Did you find her?"

Xavier shook his head. "Not yet," he said, "but I have an idea…" He placed his hand on his head and closed his eyes. ((Jean, can you hear me?)) He said telepathically.

At first, he received no answer. But then, Jean answered back, also telepathically. ((Yes, I can hear you. Did you find her?)) She asked.

((No.)) Xavier said. ((We… we have a bit of a problem. Kurt's watch is out; I can't contact him using the phone. Who's with you, and where are you now?))

((It's Scott, Kitty, and me.)) Jean said. ((We're on the other side of town. Why?))

((I need you three to get back here.)) Xavier said, his telepathic voice getting quieter. ((I can't keep this up for much longer, but I need you to see if you can find any traces of Lisa or Kurt. Especially telepathically.))

((All right.)) Jean said. ((I'll let you know if we find anything.)) And Jean's voice disappeared completely.

Xavier opened his eyes. "We need to head east." He said, "That's the direction Lisa was headed in. If she met up with Kurt there, maybe we can find him."

* * *

Kurt stumbled out of the alley, holding his arm. Whatever Lisa had done to his watch, it had hurt. Kurt flexed his hand carefully. It was either an electric shock, or a small electrical burn—or both.

Kurt looked down at himself. "Vundervoll(1)." He said. "It's a good thing it's dark out." Kurt walked along the sidewalk, hoping to find something. His golden yellow eyes glowed in the dark. "Now, if I vas a technology controlling girl, vhere vould I go?"

Suddenly, something whipped by him, nearly knocking him to the ground. "Hey!" Kurt exclaimed. He spotted what had passed him and his jaw dropped. Lisa was standing on a large gray surfboard-looking thing, and her feet were connected to it. Small flames were shooting out of the back of her device.

Kurt just stood there, mouth hanging open. Then, he balled his hand into a fist and disappeared with a _bamf_.

Kurt reappeared on a light pole a few blocks down. Lisa was headed straight towards him. Before Kurt could even think, the board soared past him and disappeared. Kurt groaned, crouching down.

"Zis ist going to be a long night…" He moaned, his tail swinging behind him.

* * *

Tears streamed down Lisa's face. Except this time, they weren't from crying—she was flying so fast, her eyes had started to water.

Lisa had a huge smile on her face. She carefully crouched down, letting the hover board pick up more speed. She weaved down streets, through alleys, and finally flew to the top of a tall building. She hopped off of the board, walked to the edge—a few feet away, so she wouldn't fall—and threw her hands into the air.

"YAAHOOOOOOOOO!!" She exclaimed, laughing. By now, the sun had already begun to come up. "Wow." Lisa said to herself. "I've been riding for a while…" She sighed and sat down Indian style. Her hover board gently dropped down next to her. Lisa stretched and yawned. She began thinking of everything that had happened since she'd gotten her powers, but mostly what had happened that night.

And then, she started thinking about the future. What would her friends think? Would her relationship with her family be the same? And most importantly, what would happen next?!

Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. She spun around, and her hover board lifted off the ground.

"Hey, hey, relax." It was Lance, one of the Brotherhood boys from earlier. Lisa quickly—and carefully—stood up.

"What do you want?!" She exclaimed. Lance took a step; Lisa's board started floating side to side.

"To help you." Lance said.

"Where are your friends?" Lisa asked, her hands balled into fists. Lance laughed.

"Still looking for you." He said. "Listen, Lisa… I know what you're going through. All of us do! And we all want to help you!" He paused. Lisa kept her eyes on him. "Your grandpa called us because he knew you needed help… because you needed someone to understand…"

Lisa seemed to relax a little. "Grandpa… called you?" She asked. Lance nodded. Lisa barred her teeth together. "How do I know you're not lying?!"

"Because." A voice said. Lisa gasped. Her grandfather had just walked through the door of the stairs leading to the roof. He was dressed in a strange outfit—the one he was wearing earlier. "Lisa…" He cooed. "I didn't want you to have to go through this alone." He walked up to her and hugged her. "But… you've handled this so well… I'm proud of you."

Lisa's eyes widened. It was definitely her grandpa—he sounded like him, he acted like him, heck, he even smelled like him. Lisa smiled and hugged him back. "Thanks grandpa…" She whispered. Her grandfather let go and towards Lance.

"Avalanche here is going to take you back to the Brotherhood house." He said. "There's going to be a woman named Mystique there. In order for her to help you, you need to help her, ok?"

Lisa nodded. "I-I will." She said. Suddenly, a small helicopter appeared above them and landed on the roof. Toad, Fred, and Pietro were inside.

"C'mon." Pietro said quickly. "We gotta go before the X-Men get here." Lance nodded and walked up to the helicopter.

Lisa gave her grandfather a hug and nervously approached the copter. As Lance stepped in, he offered his hand to Lisa. She put one hand in her pocket and took Lance's. He lifted her up and into the copter.

"'Bout time, yo." Toad said, crossing his arms. Suddenly, a blue woman with striking red hair climbed into the helicopter. Lisa's eyes widened, but she remembered what her grandfather had said.

Lisa glanced out the window. "Where's my grandpa?" she asked.

The woman took her seat up front. "He started to head down the stairs." She said. Her voice was somewhat deep. "It takes him a while, so he got a head start."

Lisa sighed and rested her head on her hand. "Oh…" She said.

The helicopter started vibrating and soon lifted into the air. It soared over the town and as it began to get higher and higher, Lisa noticed the sun catch a blue creature in its ray, and it ducked down an alley—it was that Kurt guy from before.

Lisa sighed. In a way, she felt kind of bad for him. He looked… well, like a demon, to be blunt. And she had freaked out when she saw him. But to top it off, she had taken his watch, which apparently hid his appearance.

Suddenly, Lisa noticed a few people run up to Kurt. It was Xavier, Lisa's parents, her grandmother, and…

Lisa's eyes widened. It was her grandpa. He had just started climbing down the steps; how could he be with the X-Men already? Wait, why _would_ he be with the X-Men?!

Suddenly, Lisa started putting two and two together. She turned her attention to the woman in the front of the helicopter. 'She tricked me!' Lisa thought furiously. She turned to look out the window. The X-Men, and her family, had noticed her in the helicopter. Lisa's mother looked like she was crying. Her grandfather had a look of dismay on his face.

And then, Lisa caught Kurt's glace. He looked… understanding. Whether the 'grandfather' on the roof was real or not, he was right—Lisa needed someone who understood, and she was beginning to think the Brotherhood boys didn't fit that category.

"Oh yeah," Pietro laughed, looking out the window. "We won, for once!"

"Finally," Toad moaned. From the front, the woman laughed. Lisa barred her teeth together and stood up. The woman looked back.

"Sit back down." She said.

"No." Lisa snapped. The boys took off their seatbelts. "You tricked me!" Lisa exclaimed. "All of you!"

Fred cracked his knuckles. Knowing that she couldn't take on four guys at once—let alone four _mutants_—Lisa did the smartest, and possibly dumbest thing she'd ever done.

Lisa made a lunge for the door, which was only a foot away. As Lisa touched it, the door flew open and Lisa was sent flying. She screamed, and everyone on the ground was panicking as well. Lisa held her arm out in the direction of the building she had been on and her hover board started moving. Suddenly, it shot up and towards her. But the ground was getting closer by the second.

Kurt barred his teeth together. He _bamf_ed and appeared on the hover board, which was closing in on Lisa fast. Kurt jumped off of the board, _bamf_ing, and grabbed Lisa gently. Then, he _bamf_ed back onto the board and it stopped.

The board slowly lowered to the ground and Kurt jumped off. He was carrying Lisa bridal style and she was hanging on to him for her life: Her arms were around his neck, her right hand was clenched tightly around Kurt's right arm, and her left arm had wrapped around Kurt's neck and she had grabbed her own shirt.

Lisa's parents raced over as Kurt began trying to gently pry the girl off of him. When she finally let go, her parents threw their arms around her, crying. Lisa sank down to her knees and began crying as well.

"I-I'm sorry…" She exclaimed. "I thought they were… were…"

Arthur walked up and knelt down, placing a hand on Lisa's shoulder. Then, he grabbed her and hugged her tightly. _This_ was definitely Arthur Tyler. "Lisa… My favorite granddaughter… I'm so proud of you!"

* * *

Once back at the Tylers' house, everyone took a seat in the living room. Lisa was sitting next to her grandfather, looking tired and somewhat distressed.

Xavier was talking to Lisa's parents about attending the Xavier Institute, and the rest of the X-Men weren't really listening. Neither was Lisa. She scanned the room, glancing down every once in a while. She sighed.

Arthur noticed and smiled. "Hey," He whispered. "Follow me…" He stood up and walked out of the room; no one seemed to notice. Lisa got up and followed.

Arthur waited for her in the hallway. The end of the hall hit a dead end. Lisa blinked and walked up to her grandfather. He crouched down and pressed his hand against the wall. It beeped softly.

"Now you." Arthur said. Lisa crouched down and put her hand on the wall. It beeped again. Suddenly, a section of the wall pushed back and slid open. Lisa blinked. Arthur smiled. "I want to show you something." He said, walking through the opening. Lisa grabbed his hand and followed him.

Once inside, Arthur put his hand up and a light flipped on. Lisa's eyes widened. She was standing in what she could only describe as a lab. Electronics were hung on shelves that covered the walls, pieces of materials were pilled in bins against the wall, and the entire room looked like it had been constructed out of technology.

"When I was your age," Arthur began, "I found I had the power to control technology, and I became smarter by the day." He sighed. "Not long after, I met a boy by the name of Charles Xavier." Lisa looked up at him; Arthur nodded. "_That_ Xavier; the one in your living room." He smiled and picked up a small device sitting on a shelf.

"With Charles's help," Arthur continued, "I was making all kinds of devices, inventions… you name it!" He laughed. "When your father turned out to be human, I was… well, I knew I couldn't tell him. He wouldn't understand. But in a way, I was kind of… disappointed? Maybe…" He sighed. "I wanted to be able to share what I knew with him… well, I did, but not _everything_ I truly wanted to…"

He grabbed her hand and with the other, he placed the small device in her hand. "I wanted you to have this." He said. "It will help you."

Lisa looked down at the device. It looked like a big iPOD. "Wh-what is it?" Lisa asked. Arthur laughed.

"Watch." He said. Lisa handed it to him and he gently threw it into the air. It shimmered, and as it started to descend, its gears began flipping around and rearranging. Now, the device looked like a small round satellite, and it was floating above them. "E-Meep."

The device beeped—almost like R2-D2—and turned to Arthur. A large light in the center of the device lit up blue and it spun around.

"Lisa," Arthur began, "meet, E-Meep."

"E-E-Meep?" Lisa said. The device turned to her and beeped; the light turned purple.

"Enhanced Musical Electronic Energy Pal." Arthur said, making E-Meep turn to him. "I came up with it when I was a few years older than you."

"Then why does it look like an iPOD?" Lisa asked. E-Meep turned to her.

Arthur shrugged. "That's just how I wanted it to look." He said. "Besides, it's huge compared to those things." Arthur glanced up at E-Meep and snapped his fingers. It gave a small jerk upward and transformed back into the bi iPOD shape, dropping into Arthur's hand. He held out his hand to Lisa and smiled. "And it's yours now."

Lisa looked up at him and threw her arms around him. "Thank you… grandpa…" she said. She put E-Meep in her pocket.

As they turned to leave, Lisa sighed. "Um… wh-what do you think happened to the Brotherhood?" She asked. Arthur turned around.

"Probably went back to their place." He said. "They wouldn't risk a fight now… Why?"

"N-no reason." Lisa said.

"You've been thinking about them, huh?" Arthur said. Lisa blushed.

"A-a little…" she said. "I… believed them…" Arthur put a hand on Lisa's shoulder.

"Only because you were tricked." He said. "It's not your fault."

Lisa sighed, smiled, and nodded. She grabbed Arthur's hand and the two of them walked back into the living room; the wall closed up behind them.

Lisa sat down next to her grandfather again. By now, her parents were discussing whether or not sending Lisa to the Institute was a good idea or not. Lisa stayed quiet.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lisa noticed Kurt stand up and walk down the hall. Lisa blinked, gazing down at the floor. She bit her lip. Finally, she stood up, walked out of the room, and into the hall.

"K-kurt?" Lisa whispered. Kurt's ears perked up and he turned around.

"Lisa…" Kurt said. "Uh… h-how are you feeling?" Lisa swallowed.

"Ok… I guess." She said. The two of them were quiet for a few minutes. Finally, Lisa broke the silence. "I-I'm sorry about your watch." She said.

Kurt blinked, his mouth open enough to see a small fang. "Vas?"

"Y-your holowatch thingy…" Lisa said. "I used it… well, I kinda attacked you for it, but…" she sighed. "I'm really sorry."

"It's ok." Kurt said, sighing. He smiled. "Ze important thing is zhat you're ok."

Lisa smiled. "Yeah… I guess…" She smiled back. "…Can… can I ask you something?"

"Ja?" Kurt said.

"The Institute…" Lisa began, "What's it like?"

Kurt blinked, and then scratched his chin. "Vell," He began, "…I really don't know how to describe it." He laughed. "I mean… all of us—Ze Prof, Logan, Kitty, Jean, Rogue, Scott—…Ve're all like a big family!" Lisa just stood and listened. "Like, sometimes people vill get on your nerves, but you know if you're in trouble, they'll come and help you, no matter vhat it is."

Lisa nodded. "I see." She said.

"Lisa!" Lisa's mother called from the living room. "Could you come here?"

Lisa turned to Kurt and he shrugged. "Let's go." He said happily. Lisa walked next to him and into the living room.

Lisa's mother and father were sitting on the sofa, Arthur was on a two-seater couch with his wife next to him, and the rest of the X-Men were gone—probably getting into the X-Jet.

Professor Xavier was seated in his wheelchair next to Lisa's parents. It seemed as though everyone was staring at Lisa. She gulped.

"Lisa," Lisa's father began, "You know about the Xavier Institute now, and what it's all about…" His wife grabbed his hand.

"We want to know what you think, honey." She said. Lisa blinked. She glanced over at Kurt, then her grandfather, then back at her parents and Xavier.

Finally, she sighed. "I…" she began digging her hand into her pocket and grabbing E-Meep, "…I wanna go."

* * *

**^^ The next chapter will be the start of a new adventure for Lisa, the X-Men and new mutants of all kinds!**

**1) Wundervoll- wonderful  
**

**Please review ;D**


	5. Lisa Arrives

Chapter 5

Lisa Arrives

_Sept. 20_

_Dear Journal,_

_After meeting the X-Men a few days ago (or at least it seems like it), I've decided I want to join them. I don't want to live my entire life not being able to control myself. And besides, I think I may have already made a friend in that blue elf looking guy; his name's Kurt Wagner, and he's hilarious! After I'd gotten my stuff packed and ready to go, Mr. Logan—the big guy with the claws—put my stuff in their jet's hold (They have a jet!). My mom kept telling me that if I ever wanted to come home, to just call. I think she's worried about me. I'm worried too, actually. I keep wondering what it's going to be like being able to control my "powers". I want to make Kurt a new watch-thing to make up for the one I "used". But I think the most important thing I want now is just to fit in…_

Lisa was resting her head on her arm, and her arm on the window of the X-Jet. The flight had been long and tiring, especially after the recent events. Before she'd even come close to the jet, Lisa had slipped on a pair of black gloves, so that she didn't 'use the jet', as she put it.

In no time, the X-Jet hit ground—right in front of the huge mansion that was the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters. Kurt, who had been sitting next to Lisa the entire time, smiled and nudged her shoulder.

"Lisa," He whispered. "Ve're here."

Lisa groaned and shifted her head towards him, eyes still closed. "Five more minutes Mom…" She mumbled. Kurt laughed.

"Don't you vant to see your new room?" He exclaimed. Lisa's eyes wearily slid open.

"Hmm?" she moaned. "Ok, I'm up…" Lisa sat up, yawned, stretched, and rubbed her eyes. She glanced out the window and beamed. The mansion was huge! "Whoa…!"

Kurt laughed. "Nice, huh?" He said. Lisa nodded, unbuckled her seat belt, and followed Kurt out of the jet. Suddenly, Logan came up to Lisa, her bags in hand.

"Here's your stuff kid." He said, hanging Lisa her purple duffel bag and backpack. Lisa thanked Logan and the three mutants walked through the Institute's doors.

Xavier greeted Lisa as soon as she walked in. "Ah, Lisa." He said. "Have a nice nap?"

Lisa smiled, rubbing her eyes again." Y-yeah, thanks." She said. "This place is so cool!" Lisa spun around, observing every detail of the room she could.

"Well, I'm glad you like it." Xavier said. He turned his wheelchair around as Kitty walked up behind him. "This is Kitty Pryde." Xavier said. "She'll be showing you to your room."

Kitty smiled at Lisa. "Hi, like, nice to meet you Lisa." She said.

"Nice to meet you too." Lisa said. Kitty grabbed Lisa's arm and her duffel bag.

"C'mon, I'll like, show you to our room!" She exclaimed. Lisa smiled.

"I can take—" She started to say. "O-our room?"

Kitty led Lisa up the stairs and down a small hallway. "Yeah." She said. "Like, you'll be sharing a room with me and Rogue." She paused, stopping at a brown door. "I gotta warn you though, like, Rogue's not a morning person, like, if you know what I mean."

Lisa smiled. "Cool." She said. "Back home, I always had to share a room with my brother, so being able to bunk with some girls for a change is gonna be awesome!"

Kitty laughed and opened the door to their room. It was huge, with walls painted a cool creamy color, and a few pictures hung on the walls. There also four beds, two up against the walls, and the other two facing the middle of the room. One of each bed had already been taken. There were dressers next to each bed, and a balcony overlooked the cliff outside the mansion. Lisa walked over to the other bed facing the middle of the room and set her bag on her bed. Kitty put her duffel bag on the bed as well.

"Well, I'll like, let you get unpacked." She said. She looked at the clock, right next to the door. "Dinner's in about like, an hour."

"Thanks." Lisa said, waving. As soon as the door closed, Lisa took a deep breath and jumped onto her new bed, laughing. "Sweet!"

* * *

Xavier sat at Cerebro, hand scratching his chin. He had sent a message to Logan asking him to come down, and sure enough, in a matter of minutes, the doors to Cerebro opened and Logan walked inside.

"You wanted to see me, Chuck?" He asked, walking up to the bald-headed professor.

"Yes," Xavier replied. He began typing something into Cerebro. "I've located a young mutant, about fifteen years old, roaming around Lake Ontario." He looked up at his friend. "Think you could find her?"

"So it's a girl… again." Logan groaned, rubbing the back of his neck. "Is this a new mutant, or…?"

"No," Xavier answered. "I've been trying to track her while she's been using her powers for a few weeks. She's always traveling, so it's hard to pinpoint where she is." He paused, sending the coordinates to the X-Jet. "Plus, she used her powers nonstop, and suddenly, a few days ago, she stopped using them. But now, finally, I've been able to locate her." He turned to face Logan. "Think you can handle it?"

Logan 'hmph'ed, "Why not." He said. Xavier smiled as Logan began walking out. "I'll be back with the kid later."

* * *

After all of her stuff was unpacked, Lisa walked out into the hallway and sighed. 'Now to find the dining room…' She thought. Lisa needed a map for this place; hopefully she'd start remembering how to get to and from her room soon.

Lisa began walking down the hall towards the steps, hoping someone would walk by. But unfortunately, no one did. Lisa sighed, leaning on the railing.

Suddenly, a voice behind her made her jump. "Y'need some help?" A girl said. Lisa spun around; the girl named Rogue was standing behind her, arms crossed. Lisa sighed in relief. "Ya look lost."

"I am…" Lisa sighed. "Can you… help me find the dining room?" Lisa noticed Rogue's hands were also gloved, like her own. She wore gothic type clothes and makeup, and her skin was pale. Lisa hadn't seen what Rogue could do yet, but she was anxious to find out—maybe someone else here was like her.

"Sure." Rogue said, walking past Lisa and heading down the stairs, "Ah guess." Lisa smiled and followed Rogue.

"Thanks." She said. There was an awkward silence. "So, uhh… w-we're roommates, I guess."

"Yep." Rogue said blankly. Lisa looked around uneasily as she followed Rogue into a large room with a huge table—the dining room.

"Here y'are." Rogue said. Lisa smiled at her.

"Thanks Rogue." She said, walking into the room. Rogue waved and left the room. Lisa sighed; she was early, no one else was in the dining room but her. She looked at the clock. 'Wouldn't hurt to look around a bit…' She thought, making a mental note on where the dining room was.

* * *

Logan landed in the woods near a small town practically on Lake Ontario. He walked into town and into the local rest stop to get something to drink (preferably alcoholic). The store was empty except for him, the cashier, another man, and a girl with redish hair. All that Logan could see she was wearing was a long black trench coat and a pair of beat up tennis shoes. The girl had a few cans of food in her hands and on her hands were black fingerless gloves.

Logan walked over to the counter and asked the cashier for a soda, seeing as they had no beer. He got his drink, paid, and downed the soda in one gulp. The other man in the store stood behind him in line. Logan moved out of the way and turned towards the door, just in time to see the red haired girl bolt, cans in hand.

The cashier noticed as well and, grabbing his phone, called after the girl. "You little thief!" He exclaimed, dialing 9-1-1. Logan just shook his head, deciding to just let the police catch the little crook. But he soon changed his mind.

The red haired girl quickly spun around and, in one swift movement, shot three needle looking things at the doors, jamming one and cracking the glass a bit on the other. The girl cursed under her breath and kept running.

Logan blinked. He suddenly turned to the cashier. "Don't bother callin' the police, bub." He said. "I got 'er." And with that, Logan literally kicked down the door, chasing after the red headed girl.

* * *

After twenty minutes, Lisa had given up on looking around and decided to just go back to the dining room. She'd gotten lost again. By the time she made it to the dining room, almost everyone was already there.

Lisa noticed Kurt motion for her to sit down next to him and she smiled. She sat down next to Kurt and he gave her a fanged grin.

"So…" He began, "How do you like it here so far?" Lisa sighed and sat down.

"It's great." She said, "But I keep getting lost. Kurt laughed.

"I did too." He said. "I teleported into ze Danger Room vhen I first got here."

Lisa and Kurt started eating. "'Danger Room'?" Lisa asked, "What's that?"

Kurt swallowed what he had in his mouth. "It's like a training area," He said, "vhere ve can train without any trouble. Ze Prof sets up sessions for us so ve can practice."

"Cool." Lisa said. She looked down at her plate and then to her still gloved hand. "Do… do you think I'll be able to control my powers?"

Kurt blinked at her. Then, he nudged her with his elbow. "Of course!" He exclaimed, his tail swishing behind him. "You'll have ze hang of it in no time!"

Lisa smiled and nodded. "Yeah…" she said. "Can't wait to get started!"

* * *

There weren't many places to hide in the small town. Logan had been chasing the red haired girl between buildings and through the woods for at least twenty minutes. Now, Logan was closing in.

Every once in a while, the red haired girl would turn around to see if Logan was still following her. And when she'd see him, she'd grit her teeth and keep running. But now, it was clear she was getting tired.

Finally, giving up, the girl threw the cans she had in her hands back, hoping Logan would stop the chase, or that one of the cans would hit him. But instead, Logan forced his claws out of his hands and slashed the cans into pieces, splattering their contents all over the ground. The red headed girl's eyes widened in fear. She ducked behind a rock and dove behind a tree, hoping to lose Logan.

Logan stopped, catching his breath. He could smell the girl nearby—he could also smell her fear. "It's ok, kid." He said, "I ain't gonna hurt ya… I just wanna help."

The girl, from behind the tree, was trying to catch her breath. She tried not to move, hearing Logan getting closer. Finally, she got an idea. She held her hand up to her left like a gun and aimed her finger at another tree. Then, she flexed her finger, and a single metallic colored needle cam flying out of her index finger like a bullet, flying at the tree. The needle sunk into the bark, alerting Logan to look in that direction.

The red haired girl smiled to herself and took off. But Logan's nose and ears were quicker than she was. Logan picked up her movement in seconds. He smirked. "Got'cha." He whispered, taking off towards the girl.

* * *

After dinner, Kurt and Kitty took Lisa on a tour of the mansion, trying to help Lisa remember how to get around. Slowly, Lisa began picking it up.

"So take a left out of the bathroom, down the hall, and take a right to get to our room, right?" She asked Kitty.

"Right!" Kitty exclaimed. "See? Like, you're getting it!"

"Sweet!" Lisa exclaimed. She turned to Kurt. "So can I see the Danger Room now?"

Kurt and Kitty looked at each other. "S-sure." Kurt said. "Follow us."

* * *

The red haired girl had been firing needles off at Logan like bullets; Logan had been easily dodging and blocking each one. The girl was obviously tired, and Logan knew it. She turned around to see if he was still following her—he was gone. The girl skidded to a halt, hands on her knees, and trying to breath. Had she lost him?

Suddenly, her question was answered when she heard a _thud_ from behind her. Eyes wide, she turned around; Logan was right behind her. The girl sighed and fell backwards in defeat.

"O…o…ok…" She forced out, still trying to catch her breath. "I… I give… Just… please don't… hurt me…"

Logan sighed loudly. "I ain't gonna hurt ya, like I said before." He said, offering her his hand. "I'm here to help ya."

The girl stared at his hand, and then back up at Logan, snickering. "H…help me?" She said. Logan nodded. "H…help me do… what?"

"Help you with yer powers." Logan said. The girl's expression faltered. "Buddy of mine runs a school for mutants like you." He continued, the girl not taking her eyes off of him. "It's a place where you can learn to use yer powers and meet people like ya—mutants." The girl looked away at the word. Logan crossed his arms. "And it's also a place of refuge—" Again, the girl's expression faltered, "—for mutants who've got nowhere to go."

There was a five second silence. Finally, the red haired girl broke it.

"…So you're friend… wants… to help me?" She asked. Logan nodded.

"No more stealing just to get by." He said, remembering the cans. The girl looked up at him. Logan offered her his hand again.

"What's yer name kid?" He asked. The girl took his hand and he helped her to her feet.

"…Amber…" She said quietly. Logan raised an eyebrow.

"You gotta last name, Amber?" He asked. Amber shook her head.

"No." She said. "It's just Amber."

* * *

Kurt and Kitty led Lisa into the Danger Room meeting room. As soon as she saw all of the computers and machines, Lisa immediately shoved her hands into her pockets. She bit her lip.

"O-oh…" She said. Kitty laughed.

"You, like, ok?" she asked. Lisa nodded.

"O-oh yeah, heh…" She said, giving Kitty the thumbs-up. "This place is nice."

"Ja, and here's the actual Danger Room." Kurt said, motioning for Lisa to come to a large window opposite of the door. Lisa walked over to him and peered down. Underneath the meeting room was a HUGE silvery metallic room. Lisa's eyes widened.

"Whoa!" She exclaimed. "Cool!" she turned to Kurt and Kitty. "So I get to train in there too?"

"Yep!" Kurt and Kitty exclaimed.

"Awesome!" Lisa said, turning back towards the window. Her gaze quickly fell on her gloved hands and her smile faded.

"Like, what's wrong?" Kitty asked. Lisa sighed.

"What if I can't control my powers?" She asked. Kurt and Kitty glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes. "I mean… one of the girls here—Rogue—… She wears gloved all the time… and I know she's kinda… goth… and all, but…" She paused. "You guys said she's been here for a while, right?"

"Ja…" Kurt replied.

"Well, what if I'm not able to control this either?" She held up a gloved hand. Suddenly, the doors to the meeting room slid open.

"You shouldn't worry about that now, Lisa." Xavier said, wheeling into the room. He wheeled up to Lisa and put a hand on her shoulder. "You'll be able to master your powers in no time at all. Your grandfather did it, after all… and if _he_ can do it, you certainly can." He said, finishing with a soft chuckle.

Lisa smiled. "Thanks Mr. Xavier." She said.

"Just call me Professor, if you wish." Xavier said. Lisa nodded.

"Ok." She said. Suddenly, Xavier put his hands on his temples and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry you three." He said, "I have to get going… there's something I need to attend to."

"Ja, and it's getting late." Kurt said. Lisa nodded.

"C'mon Lisa," Kitty began, wrapping her arm around Lisa's shoulders. "Our, like, first night as roomies!"

Lisa laughed. "Yeah, that's right!" She smiled. 'Day one,' she thought, 'success.'

* * *

Logan was halfway to the Institute before he looked back at his little passenger. Amber had decided to sit almost all the way at the back of the jet. Her arms and legs were crossed, and she was gazing out the window, eyes narrowed.

Logan looked at the clock. It was getting late. He'd already tired Amber out enough in the chase, so she'd probably be asleep by the time he got to the mansion. And sure enough, five minutes later, Logan turned around again to find Amber sound asleep.

Logan sighed, looking forward again. All Amber had was what she had on her. Sure, she had deep pockets in her coat, but they seemed to be empty, or had little in them. Amber's coat was worn and old, her shoes beaten up and dirty. Under her coat, she wore a pair of old worn out jeans and a brown long-sleeve shirt. Her gloves, as Logan had seen clearly now, had fingers to them once, but they were gone now.

Logan spotted the Institute and sighed. He took one last look back at the girl, and began landing the jet. He'd have to carry her in.

**So how was it?**

**Another mutant girl comes into the picture! Hazaah!! Did the ending suck? I think it did…**

**Please Review! ^^**


	6. Lisa's First Day at a New School

Chapter 6

Lisa's First Day at a New School

The next morning, the Xavier Institute was filled with the sounds of rushing teenagers; today would be most of the mutants' first days back at school in a few days. It was also Lisa's first day in her new school—Bayville High.

Lisa had taken a placement test for Bayville Middle School, but somehow ended up scoring high enough to move her up to a freshman in high school. So, Lisa would be going to school with Kurt, Kitty, Rogue, and some of the others. Jean and Scott, however, would be staying home. After graduating from Bayville High, they both decided to stick around for a little while and help Professor Xavier run the school.

After Scott and Jean were off taking everyone to school, Xavier went down to X-Jet. Logan had arrived minutes earlier. As Xavier wheeled off of the elevator, he met Logan, who was walking off of the X-Jet, the red-haired mutant girl in his arms.

"Let's let her rest in the library until she wakes up and we can find her some proper accommodations." Xavier said, smiling at the sleeping Amber. Logan nodded and the two of them walked to the library. Amber shifted in Logan's arms, but didn't show any signs of waking. Logan looked down at her and grunted. He was carrying her bridal style, her long brown coat almost dragging on the ground.

At the library, Logan laid Amber down on the small couch and started walking out of the room. "Be right back." He said as he went, mumbling something about getting a beer. Xavier smiled and wheeled over to Amber. Lying sideways, she had pulled her legs into her chest and her hands were wrapped around her waist. Xavier rode over to a small door and pulled out a blanket. He laid it over the sleeping red head and she partially smiled.

* * *

Over the course of the day, Lisa had tried to keep up with her class, make as many friends as possible, and had tried not to touch any kind of electronic devise She had failed at all but the latter. Lisa had gotten lost twice, and everyone around her though she was a freak and a weirdo, besides the fact that she was the youngest in the class—her being twelve, and everyone else being at least fourteen.

But in spite of this, Lisa had kept a cool head—for the most part. She had started panicking when she got lost, both times, and when she was alienated, she would try to occupy herself.

Lunch came exceptionally slowly for Lisa. When the lunch bell finally did ring, Lisa raced for the lockers. In the few hours she'd been here, Lisa had already discovered it's best to get your books _before_ the mass of high school kids come charging at the lockers. After getting her things, Lisa looked for Kurt or Kitty. Suddenly, a hand gently clapped her on the back.

"So, how's the first day going?" A familiar voice asked. Lisa spun around; Kurt was standing behind her, grinning. Xavier had a spare holo-watch built for him, which he was wearing now.

"K-kurt." Lisa said. She smiled. "Uh, good." She gave him the thumbs-up. "Yeah… great…" She and Kurt walked away from the lockers.

"You don't sound like you're having a 'great day'." He said. Lisa sighed, leaning against the wall.

"No one likes me here…" She said. Then suddenly realizing how stupid she must sound, she shook her head. "I mean… Well… n-never mind…" She paused. "God forbid I touch a computer or a pencil sharpener or something!"

Kurt laughed. "Ja well… ve're gonna fix zat, remember?" Lisa nodded. "Right, I'm hungry. Let's go get something to eat!" And with that, Kurt began to lead Lisa to the cafeteria.

* * *

The first thing that alerted Amber to the fact that she had no idea where she was was the warmth. Her eyes slowly slid open, her vision fuzzy from being so tired. The next thing that alerted Amber was the red cushion in front of her. Amber felt the softness of the couch under her and rolled over slowly and cautiously. Suddenly, a stranger's voice snapped her fully into reality.

"Did you sleep well?" The voice, a man's, asked. Amber rubbed her eyes quickly, adjusting to the light. A bald man in a wheelchair was wheeling up to her slowly. Amber studied him cautiously, swinging her feet over the edge of the sofa. It was then she noticed that her shoes were gone. She stared down at her feet.

"They're bein' cleaned." Another strange, yet familiar voice said. Amber's head shot towards the door to the room—a library, as she noticed. The man who had been chasing her earlier was leaning on the doorframe, arms crossed and staring at her, eyes narrowed. Amber gulped.

"Amber," The man in the wheelchair began, "My name is Charles Xavier. You are at my Institute for gifted Youngsters—mutants, like yourself—to learn to control their power." He paused as Amber looked all around the library. "But, from what my friend Logan—the man who brought you here—" Amber threw Logan a dirty look, "—has told me, you need no help in controlling your gifts."

Amber suddenly perked up and glared at Xavier. "'Gifts'?" She hissed, her voice low. She held up her hand and flexed it; a needle came out of each fingertip. Xavier noticed that the needles seemed to form from her skin. "You call this a _gift_?"

"Yes. I do." Xavier said. "And it's a very unique gift, at that." Logan grunted a laugh; Amber glared at him from out of the corner of her eye.

"You can take back a _gift_." Amber hissed. The needles seemed to melt back into her fingers. "_This_ ain't a gift." She looked down at her hand. "It's a freakin'…" She squeezed her hand into a fist, not finishing her sentence. Amber looked back up at Xavier. "Where… where am I again?"

"The Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters." Xavier replied. Amber nodded.

"Uh… huh…" She said, watching Logan from the corner of her eye. "Institute… for freaks."

"We are not freaks, Amber." Xavier said. Amber seemed to falter slightly at the sound of her name. "_You_ are not a freak. We are people… people with specially enhanced abilities."

Amber sighed. "Yeah…" She said almost sarcastically. She stood up. "Well, thanks for lettin' me crash on your couch." She began, "But it's time I get goin'—" Suddenly, Amber's stomach cut her off. It began growling loudly. Amber quickly covered her stomach with her hand. "Uhh…" she gulped. "I…I uh…"

Xavier smiled. "Just in time for lunch." He said, wheeling over to Logan. Logan nodded and disappeared behind the opening in the door. Xavier soon followed. "We'll be right back." He said.

Amber just stood still for a moment, not knowing what to do. Should she run and get out of here? Should she attack them before they attack her? Or should she wait to see what happens—wait to see if they're _actually_ going to feed her? Amber hesitated, but chose the latter. Slowly, she sat down on the edge of the couch, pulling a few pieces of paper that had been folded multiple times out of her pocket. Amber searched through the papers and, not finding what she wanted, she set them on the ground next to her. She searched her other pockets, pulling out paper after paper until she finally found the one she wanted.

Amber unfolded the paper and sighed. It was a map of the New York area. All of the papers she'd pulled out were maps—that's all she had in her pockets, all she owned. Amber pointed to where she'd been on the map and tried to remember what direction she had been 'escorted' in. Eventually, Amber had given up and began trying to figure out a few good routes that she'd taken before. But suddenly, the library door swung open. Xavier and Logan came back in. Xavier had a plate of food in one hand and a glass of water in the other. He smiled.

"Here you go." He said, handing Amber the plate. Amber, eyes wide, set her map down next to her and just stared at the plate. She looked up at Xavier; he nodded.

Logan noticed all of the maps and raised an eyebrow. Xavier noticed too, but said nothing.

* * *

After getting their lunch from the cafeteria, Lisa and Kurt walked outside. There, they met up with Rogue and Kitty at their usual table.

"I still say it's like, kinda lonely here without Scott and Jean." Kitty was saying. Rogue shrugged. Kurt jumped into a seat.

"Hey guys!" He exclaimed. Lisa sat down next to Kitty and started eating. "So vhat's up?"

"We were just talking about, like, Jean and Scott not being here." Kitty said. "Like, I wonder what they're doing right now… you know?"

"Ja." Kurt said. "Vell, if we know Scott, he's probably helping the Prof make a new Danger Room session for us, or something." There was a slight silence. Finally, Kitty broke it.

"So, Lisa, like, how's your first day going so far?" She asked. Lisa swallowed what she was eating and sighed.

"Ok, I guess." She said. "I think I'm the youngest in the school! And… I keep getting lost around this place…" Kitty laughed and put her arm around Lisa's shoulders.

"Don't worry." She exclaimed, "Like, you get used to the area after, like, a little while. It's no biggie."

Lisa smiled. "Thanks." She said. Just then, Lisa noticed a kid behind Rogue gave them a weird look. She also saw him mouth 'freaks' to a boy next to him. Lisa dropped her gaze and sighed.

"Vhat's wrong?" Kurt asked. Lisa shook her head.

"It's nothin'." She said. She glanced down at Kurt's new holo-watch. "…Hey… Kurt…?"

"Hm?" Kurt mumbled.

"…If…" Lisa began, "If people know you're a mutant, then why do you still wear… that?" She pointed to the watch. Kurt blinked at her.

"Uh… vell…" He began, "You know how you flipped out vhen you saw vhat I really looked like?" He asked. Lisa nodded.

"But that was only 'cause I was scared to begin with." She said. Kurt chuckled.

"Vell, imagine zat flip out," He began, "but school-vide… And you kinda knew about mutants by ze point you flipped out." He continued. "Everyvone here knows about mutants too, but… most of them hate us." He sighed. "I just don't vant it to get violent…"

Lisa gulped. "…Oh…" She said. "And… has it gotten violent… around here before?" Kurt, Rogue, and Kitty looked at each other, and then back at Lisa; all three of them nodded.

"Like, luckily no one's gotten hurt," Kitty began, "But like, it's been going on for like, a few months now."

"Nothing big, though." Kurt said. "It's nothing to vorry about." Kitty smiled at Lisa.

"And like, we've got your back!" She said. Lisa smiled.

"Thanks guys." She said. She looked down at her hands. "All I have to do in the mean time is learn to control… this." She held her hand up. She, Kurt, and Kitty laughed. Rogue crossed her arms, rolled her eyes, and blew a strand of hair out of her face.

* * *

Jean and Scott got back to the Institute at around one o'clock; they'd gone out to lunch after dropping the rest of the gang off. Scott held the door open for Jean as they walked through the front doors.

"We're back Professor." Scott called. Xavier came wheeling into the room. "You wanted us to help with Lisa's Danger Room session, right?" Scott asked. Xavier nodded.

"Yes," He said, "But that can wait." He turned his wheelchair around and motioned for Jean and Scott to follow. "I want you to meet someone."

Jean and Scott looked at each other and shrugged. "Ok." Jean said. Xavier smiled and led the two of them into the library. There, they found a red-haired girl dressed in mostly brown sitting on the couch.

"Scott, Jean," Xavier began, "I'd like you to meet Amber." He wheeled over to her, and Amber stood up. "She arrived late last night."

Scott walked up to her and offered her his hand. "Hey Amber." He said. "I'm Scott, and this is Jean," Jean smiled and waved, "Nice to meet you."

Amber looked at Scott's hand. A quick look of confusion flickered on her face. But then, she started catching on, raising her hand to shake Scott's. "Uh, hi—" She began, but cut herself off suddenly when she—and almost everyone else—heard a softly slow '_snict_'. Amber's eyes widened as she stared at her hands. They were _covered _in needles. Amber gulped and swiftly put her hands into her pockets. Scott blinked, his eyes also wide. "S…sorry…" Amber mumbled, her gaze dropping to the floor.

Xavier cleared his throat. "Well, Amber will be staying with us for a little while." He said. "Would you two mind showing her to her room?"

Scott nodded. "No problem." He said. He turned his attention back to Amber, who looked up at him. "Ready?" He asked. Amber nodded, and began following Scott and Jean out into the hallway.

* * *

It was two forty-four. Lisa was watching the clock carefully. As soon as two forty-five rolled around, the bell would ring, and she would be home free (or Institute free)! Lisa started thinking about what she was probably going to do once she got back to the mansion—besides homework, of course. She would probably run a Danger Room session with the rest of the gang, or work with the Professor on using her powers.

Just then, the bell rang. Lisa snapped back into reality and began gathering up her books. She ran out into the hallway, got her books from her locker, and bolted for the door. She wanted to meet up with Kurt, Kitty, and Rogue as fast as possible.

Lisa began walking, looking behind her to see if maybe one of them was going to come out behind her. Suddenly, she slammed into something hard. Startled, she dropped a few of her books and almost fell backwards. But a hand gently caught her by the wrist and helped her catch her footing.

"Careful, cher." A strongly Cajun accented voice said. Lisa quickly looked up at the man she's bumped into, and then immediately went down to the ground to get her books.

"Sorry." Lisa said. The man knelt down and began to help her. Lisa looked up at him as he handed her a book. "I wasn't paying…"

"Attention?" The man said. He laughed. Lisa's eyes widened. The man had short auburn hair and a small goatee, and wore a dark blue—almost black—mask around his face, ears, and down his neck. He had a pinkish and blue colored shirt under a long, brown coat, and dark blue pants. His clothes seemed to be made of the same stuff the X-Men's uniforms were made of, or very close. The man also wore metallic knee-high boots, black fingerless gloves, and Lisa noticed he had a small metallic stick strapped to his belt. But one thing that really made Lisa freeze up was his eye color. Just by looking at them—even if his clothes were… normal-ish—she could tell he was a mutant. The man's eyes were red—blood red—and the 'whites' of his eyes were completely black. Lisa couldn't help but stare.

The man raised an eyebrow and laughed. "Dere somethin' wrong?" He asked. Lisa shook her head and stood up. Besides the fact that his eyes were… different, there was something about him that _attracted_ her to him. Lisa tried shaking it off as he handed her the last book.

"Th-thank you…" She stammered. The man stood up and gave her a two-finger salute. Suddenly, he noticed something behind Lisa and he took a step back. Lisa turned around. "What's…?" She began, but when she turned back around, the man was gone. Lisa scratched her head. Suddenly, a thin arm wrapped around her neck.

"Like, there you are!" A familiar voice exclaimed. It was Kitty followed by Kurt and Rogue. "We've been like, looking for you."

"Who vas zat?" Kurt asked. "I only saw him valk avay…" Lisa turned back to where the man had once been and raised an eyebrow.

"Y…you know…" she began, "I have no idea…" Kitty shrugged. Rogue sighed.

"Well, c'mon." She said, sounding aggravated. "Jean _was_ supposed to pick us up, but Ah guess she's late." She sighed and started walking. "We better start walkin'…" Lisa looked at Kitty and Kurt and nodded.

"The mansion's not zat far avay anyvay…" Kurt began, following Rogue. Kitty sighed and started walking as well. Lisa was just about to follow, when something white and rectangular on the ground caught her eye. It was a card—a playing card. Lisa picked it up and examined it. It was the three of Clubs. Lisa opened her mouth to ask if someone had dropped it, but when she did, Kitty called her.

"C'mon!" She exclaimed. "We're like, gonna leave!" Lisa shook her head, shoved the card into her pocket, and started running after her friends.

"I'm coming!" She exclaimed. "I just dropped something!"

From the shadows, a pair of red on black eyes watched Lisa, Kurt, Kitty, and Rogue as they left the school's campus. The eyes suddenly glowed and narrowed, and then disappeared.

**SOOOOOO… most of you probably know who THE MAN is ^^ And how was it?**

**Please Review!**


	7. Please Read! Explanation!

**Hey guys! :D I'm not dead! I swear!**

**Lol it's been a while, huh? Well, the thing is, I've been writing my own original story and I've been involved in a play at school for like a month and a half, so that's why I haven't updated any stories in like… a year DX but they **_**WILL NOT BE ABANDONED!**_** I promise! So… until I write up the next chapter (cuz I'm pretty much a little stuck in all my stories, thanks to this original one I'm writing .) please bear with me! ^^;**

**Again, really sorry about the long "hiatus", but my stories will NOT be abandoned! :D**


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